Mercedes boss says he’d rather work ‘alone’ than with Red Bull rivals

Mercedes and Red Bull have had a long-standing rivalry

Mercedes boss Toto Wolff has said that he'd rather "do it alone" than work with Red Bull trio, and rivals, Max Verstappen, Christian Horner or Helmut Marko. The rivalry between Mercedes and Red Bull intensified more than ever last season in light of their thrilling battle which saw Verstappen beat Lewis Hamilton to the drivers' championship on the final race of the season in controversial circumstances. Both team principals were often engaged in numerous heated exchanges across the season and the 2022 campaign is no different as Mercedes seek revenge and Wolff was more than happy to continue the feud. During an interview with German outlet Bild, Wolff was asked if he could envision working with any of the three, however the Mercedes boss gave a clear and honest answer.

"Who would you rather have from Red Bull in your team: Verstappen as driver, team boss Christian Horner or head of motorsport Dr. Helmut Marko?" the question read.

 "I'd rather do it alone," Wolff fired back.

'It got very personal between the two of us at some point'

Wolff did also acknowledge that he does have some regrets about the rivalry between himself and Horner, but also said that his rival's words no longer "trigger any emotions" in him. "I really regret it," he told Dutch magazine Formule 1 last year.

"I always try to stay professional, approach things professionally. However, it got very personal between the two of us at some point.

"At one point he told me to shut up. Then I responded by saying he was a windbag and talked too much for the cameras.

"I shouldn't have said that because it's a professional relationship and you know that even your worst enemy has a best friend."

Both Mercedes and Red Bull didn't get their 2022 season off to the start they hoped - the latter in particular, who were forced to retire both cars - while Mercedes finished in third and fourth as Ferrari were able to secure a one-two lockout in first and second. Related links:

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